East Lake Tophopekeliga Swimming With Activity

All you bass lovers need to keep in mind that the public boat ramp across from the gazebo on Lake Tohopekaliga will be closed today because of the Osceola Art Festival.

Kissimmee police officers said they placed the ramp off limits for safety reasons, and not because they think art and fishing do not mix. After all, we all know that the highest form of art is a 12-pound lunker hanging on the living room wall.

And do not get excited if you get buzzed by a plane or two while you are out lunker hunting on the lake. Remember, the Florida State Air Fair also is in full swing beginning at 1 p.m.

With those public announcements out of the way,

let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Activity continued to pick up at East Lake Tohopekaliga last week. Buck Johnson hauled in two jumbos Friday morning that together weighed more than 19 pounds.

Johnson said he was using the biggest wild shiners he could find, and fishing them in real heavy cover.

Just for the record, there are two types of shiners available in most Florida bait shops. The hatchery-raised shiners, good for small bass but not worth a hoot for the lunkers. The fact is that most serious anglers only buy the wild native shiners that are captured from the waters they are fishing.

Tommye Bell reports that folks have been bringing in tons of shellcracker over at the East Lake Fish Camp, and that the schooler-size bass are becoming more active.

Steve Adams and Jim Perry, visiting from Paris, Tenn., pulled in four bass Thursday. The Tennesseeanglers were last seen running around the camp showing everybody and their mother their biggest catch, an 8-pound bucket mouth.

Don Strickland beat the stuffing out of the rest of the field at the Big Toho Marina's Wednesday night tournament, and Scott Welder and Robby Robinson won the night tournament held the week before on East Lake Tophopekaliga during a rain storm. Welder and Robinson caught six bass that had a total weight of 18 pounds.

Another tournament will be held on East Lake Tohopekaliga starting at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and ending at 3 a.m. Entry fee is $20 a boat. Robinson predicts that a lot of fish will be caught because the tournament date falls three days before a full moon.

Robinson recently returned from a successful fishing venture at Sanibel Island. With the help of a Griffin Lure called Sam's Chub, Robinson lugged in a 20-pound snook. Robinson also hooked into some hefty trout using a top-water plug called Baby Rattler, No. 2192.

This week, he is going to the Florida Keys where he hopes to catch a sailfish.

Meanwhile, spec fishing has been picking up in a big way in Lake Tohopekaliga. Take the case of husband and wife fishing team, Bob and Rose Hidle. The dynamic anglers nearly swamped their boat with 52 specs that they caught near the mouth of Shingle Creek. The Hidles said they were using Hal- Flys spiked with minnows.

Joe Ward and Jim Magnani also stumbled across a batch of specs near Shingle Creek. Before the day was done, the fishermen had 100 in their cooler.

Even the bream fishing seems to be picking up as Betty McNeal and Rooster Pierce hauled in 77 along with two large catfish. The duo used crickets near the Mack Overstreet Landing.

Don't forget that entry forms are available for the eighth annual Let's Set the Hook for Muscular Dystrophy Bass Tournament. Zayre Department stores and the Florida Jaycees sponsor the event. The tournament will be held out of Southport Park on Oct. 6. Entry fees are $75, all of which will be donated to MDA. Entry forms can be picked up at local bait and tackle shops and Zayre stores everywhere.

Tip of the week: Keep an eye out for the guides. These rascals are usually on fish, so when you see a couple of them on the outer sections of the grassline, you can be fairly sure that the area is worth fishing.